Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-01-18
0TR CoCSrRY SCHOOLS.

To the Editor Of the Republic:
A few days since a bill passed in tie
house of representatives proposing to change
the management of the public schools TO
bOani Of education of each township, COM
posed OF one member from every sub-ds-
trict in the township. This would cOnsti-
tute board of ten to fifteen members. un-
der which the entire management of the
schools of the township would be placed.
This would be an improvement OH the
present system. but it is not the best thing
that can be done. II leaves the sub-districts
as they are. The most important point is
70 get clear of the sub-districtS-tO wipe
them out of existence. Then have town
ship board composed of five or six members,
elected by the people at large. This was
the plan proposed in bill in the house of
representatives offered by me in 1881; and
the following is a statement Of >Ome of the
reasons in favor of that bill
f. q. DIAL.
EDrrOR REPUBLIC-The legislation pro-
posed by me IN the Ohio house Of iepresen-
tatiyes in regard {" Ihe public schools has
been so misapprehyHdrd by some and so
wiIlfuIly misrepresented by Others that l
desire to state the proposed changes and
the reasons therefor. The township bill
provides that a board of education be-
elected by the people %! each township
district, composed of six competent and
judcious persons. Ome-third 10 be elected
every year to serve for three years the
election to be held at the annual election
for township officers by the Judges and
clerks thereof. 1t provides that these six
iu iciOus and competent persons shall have
the entire management of the schools Of q e
township district And this means that
the board Of education elected by the people
of the township shall exercise all the
powers and perform all the duties with
reference to the schools of the township.
that the board of education of a city or
village. or special district. exercise and
perform in regard TO the schools of the city
village or special district.
Now what is there startling in this prOpO
sitiOn-that the county schools should b.
put under the same management as the city
schools?
President Andrews. of Marietta college
says:
''Thirty-five years ago the single district
system prevailed in the towns of the state.
as well as in the country; and when the
graded or union system was proposed in q
tOwn-for il was introduced into a great
many towns by local action prior to the
passage of the general law-these same oh
jectiOns were made 10 the change as are now
made TO these proposed legislative meas
ures. But who would have the old system
restored in our towns? The change wrought
was marvellous. In many places the num-
Der of schools was doubled within year or
two. This was partly owing TO the fact
that many parents had before sent their
children to private schools. and partly
because the schools were made 40 good
that they attracted many children of parents
who were wholly Indifferent to their educa-
ton. The public schools of the towns We're
revOlutiOniZed by the changes then made in
the system"
Ii is an infinite misfortune 10 the people
OF Ohio that the law which abandoned the
district system in the towns did not do the
same for the country. II is a remarkable
fact that for twenty-eight years there has
been no act passed in Ohio. looking TO the
! Improvement Of the public schools. What
! has been done WAS in the opposite direc-
/ ton. Example: The law authorizing the
probate courts 10 reduce the size and in-
crease the number OF Sub-diStrIcts.
| But let us look at the ~ub-districts. The
! law requiring townships to be divided into
sub-districts undoubtedly cnntemplates an
approximate equality of youth of school age
, in the several sub-districts. This is made
certain by the plain language Of the law.
Section 1861 provides that the school funds
shall be so apportiOned by the board that
the schools ia all the sub-diStricts of the
township shall ne continued the same length
of time each year" Then section 1921 en-
acts that no sub-district shall contain less
than sixty resident scholars by enumera-
tion. except in cases where, in the opinion
Of the board, it is necessary TO reduce the
number" Now, look at the report Of
the state school commissioner for
1879. in which he says: ''In fourteen
counties of the state the average attendance
upon the sub-district schools is less than
twenty pupils; in fifty counties less than
twenty-five, and in only eight counties does
! the attendance exceed thirty. In four
hundred school districts there is an enum-
Grafton of less than twenty-five. and there